6 Projects that Demonstrate the Art of Belonging
A recently published University College London (UCL) study into epigenetic aging—the biological deterioration of our cells caused by changes in how our DNA is regulated over time—found that creative and cultural activities may affect aging in a way comparable to physical exercise. Like exercise, the study demonstrates, engaging with art can lift both mood and energy levels.
This means that “the relationship between arts engagement and biological aging becomes larger and more important as we get older,” said Daisy Fancourt, the lead author of the study. There is beginning to be empirical evidence that singing, dancing, painting, and participating in group creations of larger works of art not only adds enjoyment to life, it is actually good for the body and the mind.
Increasingly, commissioners are requesting some sort of community engagement in their open calls and artist proposals. Below are examples of outstanding projects posted by CODAworx members that beautifully illustrate the impact of art where the community is engaged in the creative process.
The Whimsical Toy Chest, Ottomata
At Montréal's Esplanade Tranquille, this interactive ice rink, co-created with Doki, turns skaters into the artists. Real-time projection and motion tracking make the ice respond to every movement, so visuals and sound bloom beneath the skates. No two sessions are ever alike, because the work is shaped by individual and collective movement.
We All Are in the Same Boat, Alex Ferror
For this 2,700-square-foot mural, Ferror held two workshops with children from the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, NH, asking what they would bring on a journey with their friends. Their imaginative drawings supplied 90 percent of the mural's elements, and local artists, volunteers, and club staff contributed the rest during execution. The result is a true community co-creation.
Flow, Jen Lewin
Flow makes participation the very heart of the work. When visitors move beneath the sensors of its light tubes, swirling LEDs rise and musical tones sound, so each person helps compose the experience through movement alone. Lewin, who is trained as a dancer, musician, and mathematician, has created a living exchange between artwork and audience.
Laces of Lynn, Orlosky Studio
To create Laces of Lynn, more than 450 Lynn, MA, residents each contributed a single word describing themselves. Those words were water-jet cut into giant, colorful steel shoelaces that interweave and support one another, a poetic emblem of community strength that honors the city's shoemaking heritage and its diversity.
Ribbon, The Urban Conga
Flowing through the pedestrian pathways, bus stops, and plazas of Long Island City, Ribbon invites people to sit, converse, and play. Printed on its kinetic units are love letters to the city, submitted by the community through physical and digital surveys. The contributors range from two to eighty years old.
Pathways to Freedom, Julia Vogl
In Pathways to Freedom, Julia Vogl engaged 1,800 individuals across 27 locations in Greater Boston, from City Hall to a Dorchester school to the Peabody Essex Museum, inviting them to reflect on freedom and immigration. Each circle in the finished floor mural, installed at the base of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boston Common, represents one person's answers to four questions.
